Eternity
by Space-facade
Summary: Ok....learnt a bit about fanfiction since I last updated this..have re-formatted to make it easier to read and added new chapters. My attempt at a series 2...Please review!
1. The Fallout

Eternity

Chapter 1:- Abby stood on the sidelines and stared in complete confusion at the furious man striding back and forth in front of them. She stole a quick glance sideways at Stephen and his eyes turned to meet hers. He half smiled but she turned away, furious with the emotions that that one glance had caused inside her. She still couldn't believe it. Stephen. The one that they had all though was so trustworthy and loyal, cheating with Helen, his best friend's wife. And by the looks of it Nick Cutter was fairly pissed off about it too. Suddenly, Nick stopped pacing and turned to face them.

"Look, I don't care what you say, she exists, she was here when we went through the anomaly, you've been working with her for the last six months, HOW CAN YOU NOT REMEMBER HER?!"

Standing tense, threatening, blonde hair ruffled and clothes torn and dirty, this Nick Cutter was a far cry from the one Abby had met all those months ago in the Forest of Dean. He appeared to have quite literally lost his mind, his normally sharp blue eyes, wild and panicked as he stood babbling on about some woman none of them had heard of. Some woman called Claudia Brown. The Connor spoke up. Like herself he seemed to be trying very hard not to offend anyone and when he spoke it was in a calm but slightly edgy voice.

"Er, Nick mate? We're sorry but we don't know who you're talking about. We really don't. Look you've had a bit of a traumatic day. Why don't you go home and..."

Connor's words trailed off as Nick turned and gave him such a glare he may as well have been shooting lasers out of his eyes.

"...get some rest." Connor finished sounding more than slightly scared. Trying to pacify a man in this condition was like trying to tickle a wounded tiger under the chin, thought Abby as Nick turned and stomped off through the woods after throwing Connor a filthy look. Some might call it brave. She called it stupid.

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Nick strode through the forest, head bent, trying to ignore the emotional tornado that was rushing through him. He studied the forest floor and it passed beneath his feet, the carpet of autumn leaves crackling slightly, coloured a rich red-brown. A memory flashed trough his head, unbidden. Claudia laughing, head thrown back, hair, the colour of Autumn leaves, glinting in the sunlight. A stab of guilt and misery drove through him and he forced his legs into a run. He ran on endlessly, trees flashing past, running until his muscles burned and every breath was painful. Running until the physical pain blocked out the mental.

Eventually he stopped, forced to, at the edge of a clearing. He dropped down onto a log and stared around him. The forest was still, completely silent. He couldn't quite believe what had happened. Stephen, Helen and Claudia. The three people that had meant the most and they had all gone. He hadn't quite swallowed the fact that Stephen and Helen had had an affair yet. The idea to him was so bizarre that it hadn't quite sunk in. Nick knew that when it did, it was going to hurt one hell of a lot.

And as for Claudia, well, he was confused, devastated and feeling extremely guilty. He couldn't work out what his feelings for her were. She had kissed him before he left for the future anomaly but he wasn't sure that meant much. It was probably a 'you may be about to die' thing. All he did know was that somehow he was going to get her back. He didn't know how he would do it, where he would start or how long it would take, but he would do it. He had to. But before he started a rescue mission, there was one slight problem...Nick stared around at the endless trees. Where the hell was he and how the hell was he going to get back?


	2. Insanity

Chapter 2:-

Nick shoved himself to his feet and conducted a quick scan of the surrounding area. He spotted several rocks and trees that he thought maybe he recognised but then again there must be thousands of rocks and trees in this bloody forest and they all looked vaguely familiar to him. Where the hell was Stephen when you needed him? The thought popped into Nick's head automatically. He winced, thinking about Stephen was both painful and confusing and he couldn't deal with that right now. After all Stephen wasn't going to be around anymore to get him out of trouble so he needed to find a way to solve his own problems. Starting now. With a sigh, Nick picked a random direction and started walking. Forests don't last forever so sooner or later he had to hit civilisation. Hopefully it would be sooner._(Back at the anomaly site in the Forest of Dean)_ Connor glanced up from the computer equipment he was checking. Glancing around he spotted Abby, standing metres apart from the others leaning against a tree with a worried expression on her face. Casually he wandered over and stood next to her. She didn't react at all, staring at the distant figure of Stephen, a fixed expression on her face. Stephen seemed to be have some kind of agitated discussion with the SAS men and Lester, waving his hands around and jabbing the air with a finger.

"He's not worth it you know Abby" said Connor. "I can't believe he cheated on Nick with Helen." He paused. " That came out really wrong."

Abby laughed unexpectedly, the sound feeling wrong as it forced its way out of her throat.

"Yes it did, Connor. Please don't say that kind of thing to anyone else, I think Nick and Stephen have enough on their plates at the moment without you starting up any gay rumours about them." Connor flushed slightly.

"Seriously though Abby, you couldn't trust a man like that." Abby looked up at him a steely expression in her blue eyes.

"Connor I'm flattered. But I can and will form my OWN opinion of Stephen and his actions."

"I know, but I was just saying..."

"Without any help from you." Squashed Connor, looked at the floor. After an awkward moments silence Abby spoke again.

"Connor, I'm worried about Nick. I don't pretend to know him well, but you know, he just didn't seem like the type to suddenly go insane like that. He always seemed so..safe." Connor shrugged.

"I know but love can do strange things to people." Abby stared at him.

"What do you mean, love? Who was Nick in love with? Helen? I can't believe that."

"No, of course not Helen. I'm certain he didn't still love her. But he was in love. I'm sure of it. But, Abby...I can't remember who with."Connor had started to look slightly worried, thinking that maybe the insanity was catching.

"Connor, do you think there is something to all of this Claudia Brown stuff? I mean, I don't actually know her but I can sort of remember something. Like a sort of memory that's gone wrong. Just little glimpses of stuff. A woman. I mean, Nick seemed so sure of himself." Connor paused before answering, clearly thinking.

"You know Abby, I think you might be right. Maybe Claudia Brown isn't just a figment of Nick Cutter's science-crazed imagination. We could investigate! Be a crime cracking duo! Uncovering the truth!" Abby rolled her eyes and socked him in the arm before stalking off. Connor sighed. I guess it was the wrong time for humour he thought, rubbing the mounting bruise on his left arm. He sighed again and turned back to the computer set. Computers were safe. They didn't talk about imaginary friends or randomnly produce dinosaurs, or hit you in the arm. Abby made her way through the woods. No-one had noticed that she had slipped off by herself. She wasn't sure if Nick's insanity was catching or something but suddenly something inside her was sure there was something in his claims. Maybe Claudia Brown did exist. Abby wanted to know what had happened. Abby wanted answers. And to find answers, first she had to find Nick Cutter. As dusk began to fall, Abby walked further and further into the darkening forest...


	3. Dark Forests and Dinosaurs

Chapter 3:-

Nick had now been walking for what felt like an eternity but in reality had probably only been about 2 hours. He had neither seen nor heard anything at all that he recognised and was finally coming to the conclusion that maybe forests did go on forever and either way he was 100 completely and utterly lost. He took his mobile out of the back pocket of his trousers and peered at the screen in the gathering dusk. Still no bloody signal. With no other choice he simply continued walking.

Abby was also walking and, despite the chances of this being practically astronomical, she was actually in around about the same area as Nick. She was also starting to feel extremely stupid and vaguely panicky. Yeah, she wanted some answers and to find out what was going on but what on Earth had made her think that following Nick RIGHT NOW would get them for her? A this rate, the only question she would be finding an answer to was 'What would happen if a stupid blonde girl, being typically blonde, marches into dark, dinosaur filled forest, completely unarmed?'. On reflection, it wasn't really a question Abby actually wanted to know the answer to.

Nick's legs were aching and he was beginning to tire. He was starting to wish he'd taken heed of Stephen's teasing about spending more time in the gym. He shook his head irritably. Walking gave him too much time to think and he was realising that a lot of his thoughts seemed to revolve around people he cared about, i.e. Claudia and Stephen. He did NOT need this right now. Scanning his surroundings as best he could, Nick was startled to discover that he actually recognised the tree and strange shaped rock in front of him. His heart thumped and he swung around, he recognised that tree too, and that view, and that...log...over...there. Swearing violently, Nick stomped over and collapsed once more on the log and buried his head in his hands. 3 hours walking and he was back where he had bloody started.

Unaware of how near Nick actually was, Abby was starting to feel extremely alone and extremely nervy. Black shadows of trees hid vicious carnivores and every crack of a twig was a Gorgonopsid creeping up behind her. (Well creeping as well as a 5 tonne dinosaur can, anyway) She had no idea where she was and no idea how to get back (obviously). Wondering pensively whether any of the others had actually noticed that she'd gone missing from the anomaly site she idled forward.

A few moments later, she was jerked out of thoughts by a stream of loud, ugly swear words, that seemed to come from somewhere to her left. Unless scientists had somehow missed out on discovering the dinosaur that could talk in a Scottish accent, then Abby had found Nick Cutter.

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Nick raised his head from his hands once more and saw, to his trepidation the glittering, dancing, light of an anomaly coming through the trees. This **REALLY** wasn't his day. Still, past or present, a change of scenery would be quite welcome right now. Shoving himself up once more, Nick padded quitely through the trees until the anomaly came clearly into focus. It was identical to the others, geometric looking triangles, rotating, bathed in silvery white light. Beautiful but terrible at the same time.

Nick's common sense kicked in and he backed away from the rip in time and space. What was he thinking, even starting to approach that thing? He had no idea what might come through and he had no idea what was on the other side. 'But'...persisted a little voice inside his head, 'Claudia might be on the other side of that anomaly. Maybe she lost, maybe she's been hurt, maybe she's...' Nick wouldn't allow his thoughts to complete that sentence. Before he could change his mind, he took a deep breath and ran through the anomaly. Upon the realisation that she had found Cutter, Abby felt like whooping and dancing a jig. Common sense and brains restrained her. She had never seen Nick lose his rag before, not even briefly, so hearing him swear violently had done nothing to reassure her over his state of mind. Still company was better than no company and she swerved left off the path and ran through the forest, calling Cutter's name, heading in the direction of his voice. She came quickly to a clearing and looking around for any sign of movement, she saw the all too familiar light of the anomaly. In an instant she knew Cutter had gone through it. If he thought someone he knew could be in danger on the other side of that thing, then he wouldn't have hesitated to go through, Abby knew for certain.

Fantastic, all this searching and he slips away into the past. She couldn't help feeling hugely irritated with him for being so selfish. Well, unwittingly selfish. Abby had no idea what she was going to do, because as sure as Rex was scaly, there was no bloody way she was chasing Nick Cutter into the past. Still. No harm in going a bit closer. Abby took several steps forward until she was in front of the glittering triangles. Putting her boot down on the forest floor she heard a crunch. Squatting down, she picked up the remains of what had been a mobile phone. Nick's mobile phone. Aah. Abby wondered briefly if a broken mobile phone would feature high on Cutter's list of worries at the moment, and then whether he would ever belief a dinosaur had stood on it. She was just contemplating this when...

On the other side of the anomaly, Nick stood paralysed. This just wasn't fair. Out of a dark creepy forest, into **ANOTHER **dark and creepy forest. Only this one had the added bonus of a large pair of ghostly yellow eyes and a low snarling as background entertainment. Nick stared into the eyes, that hovered a couple of metres away and wondered if the animal was actually going to eat him alive, or whether it would take the time and consideration to kill him first. The volume of the snarling went up a notch and twigs crackled as the eyes came closer. Stupid question. Nick gave a yell and launched himself backwards through the anomaly, praying his own timeline was still on the other side, he was momentarily surrounded by silver light and then...

"**JESUS CHRIST!**" Abby and Nick let out a simultaneous yell of panic as Nick fell back onto something warm and lumpy, and Abby recieved an elbow in the head and then the full weight of fully grown man right on top of her. Nick looked up at the anomaly briefly, decided nothing was coming through after him and turned his full attention back to the cushion that had supplied him with a much more comfortable landing. A very pissed off cushion. Peering through the gloom, he made out the features of a woman with short white-blond hair, glaring at him through the shadows and nursing a nosebleed.

'**ABBY?**' asked Nick, rather more than shocked. 'What on earth are you doing here, and what happened to your **FACE?**' Abby's glare did not lessen.

'I was following you. I wanted to talk to you, but no! You did your stupid Houdini vanishing act and I ended up in the middle of the dark forest staring at another bloody anomaly and then something falls out of it, lands on me and elbows me in the face in the process!' Nick had the good grace to look slightly ashamed.

'I'm sorry about going off on one this afternoon. I was freaked and I took it out on you and the others. But you didn't have to follow me. I'm coping perfectly fine.'

'Yes, that terrified yelp you let out before you FELL through the anomaly certainly made you sound 100 in control. And about my face? And the fact your currently sitting on my chest? No worries. Apology accepted.'

Nick blushed again. At least, she thought he did, it was hard to tell in the dark, but he did seem to realise the innapropriateness of his position and shifted off her onto the forest floor.

'Sorry about that. I was totally in control until I went through the anomaly. There was something rather unpleasant on the other side, I won't bore you with the details.' Abby jabbed him hard in the stomach with a finger. He hurriedly took the hint.

'And most of all, I'm very sorry for sitting on you, landing on you, knocking you over and elbowing you in the face.' 'Apology accepted. But you can cross knocking me over off your list of crimes.'

'What?' Abby groaned inwardly, realising what she'd just said. And Nick hit the nail right on the head, by asking the question she really didn't want him to ask.

'Abby, what were you doing sitting on the floor, in the dark, directly in front of the anomaly?' Put like that it made her action seem all the more stupid. And then there was the little matter of the mobile phone. Abby sighed.

'Well you see Nick, the thing is...' He was looking at her expectantly and her courage failed her. She really did NOT want to upset him right now. She opened her mouth...'there was this dinosaur, I couldn't tell exactly what it was and it came charging...' Abby rambled on, mouth ahead of her brain, wondering if she could possibly be anything lower than a 10, on the 'I am so obviously telling a stupid lie' scale.


	4. Who?

Chapter 4:-

Nick sat in amused silence as Abby started her excuse. When she faltered and trailed off, he kept silent, almost enjoying her discomfort and waiting with interest to hear what she was going to say to get herself out of trouble. Apparently she took his silence as a sign that he believed her and continued rambling on, clearly not thinking about the ridiculous words coming out of her mouth. He let her talk for a bit but when she got to a herd of dinousaurs stampeding towards her, roaring their heads off, he decided he'd better stop her.

'Abby?'

'Yes?' she halted in mid-sentence. 'Shut up' He heard her huff in the darkness next to him.

'You stood on my phone didn't you?' Apparently he hadn't been buying the dinosaur thing.

'Yes' Abby admitted. Nick sighed. 'So our chances of getting out of here before morning are now considerably less than zero?'

'That's one way of putting it.'

'Fantastic'

'The phone didn't have any signal anyway' said Abby in an attempt to feel less guilty. This time it was Nick's turn to groan. _(Back at Abby's flat)_ Stephen pulled the SUV up in front of the small, converted warehouse that Abby called home. Slamming the drivers door he headed for the front door and intercom. He heard Connor's footsteps approach behind him.

'Key?'

'Errr, sorry. I kind of fed it through the anomaly while I was testing the magnetic field for weakness'

'Why did you have to do that? Why not just use the compass?'

'Dunno, it was Claudia's idea.'

'Who?'

Damn it! Connor realised in a flash that he'd said that name again. Claudia. Who the hell was she? Why did she seem to pop up in bits of his memories but he couldn't remember her?

'Who?' Stephen asked again, sounding more impatient by the minute.

'No-one' Stephen already thought he was a prat, he didn't want him to think he had an imaginary friend as well.

'Just use the intercom'. Stephen leant forward, having to bend almost double to reach it.

'Abby? It's Stephen and Connor. Can you let us up?' There was a lengthy silence. Stephen turned slowly to look at Connor. Connor bit his lip.

'Why isn't Abby answering?'

'Erm, maybe she's asleep?' Stephen rolled his eyes and took a quick scan of the road. His heart gave a double quick thump.

'Connor, you did say Abby went home right?'

'Yeessssss.'

'How did she get home?'

'In her car, obviously'.

'Then WHERE IS HER CAR?' Stephen spat the words out. Connor turned. The road outside the warehouse looked perfectly normal, apart from the distinct lack of small green mini.

'Erm, maybe she decided to walk? Needed the air maybe?'

'Connor, did you ACTUALLY SEE her getting in to her car and driving away?'

'Well, no, not as such, but when she walked into the forest I just sort of presumed that was where she was going. Stephen was breathing heavily but seemed to have his temper just about under control.

'You idiot Connor! She never left at all, she's still at the anomaly site!' Stephen swung on his heel and headed for the SUV. He started the engine. Connor sprang to life.

'Wait Stephen!' he yelled, chasing the car for a few metres before it slowed enough for him to jump in. The car pulled away, out into the dark night.

--------------------------------------------------------- Abby and Nick were now standing side by side in front of the anomaly. They were meant to be thinking of a plan, but a sideways glance at Abby's face, showed that she was in more of a trance than in a thinking mood. Impatiently he clicked his fingers in front of her face. She looked up at him, momentarily startled.

'Wha..?' She started to say. But at that moment the anomaly started to expand. Whirling and growing it twirled closer and closer until both Abby and Nick were enveloped in the silvery white light. Abby gave a scream of horror and looked to Nick for guidance but his eyes were wide with fear and he seemed frozen.

Pressure started to build in every inch of Abby's body and by the expression on Nick's face, he was feeling the same thing. Abby''s eyes started to water, and her lungs burnt as she struggled against the outwards pressure, struggling to draw breath. Her eyes clouded over and she thought 'this is it' 'this is the end' and then, rather stupidly 'this is what happened when stupid blond girl, being typically blond, walks into dark dinosaur filled forest completely unarmed'. And then everything went black. Stephen drove fast, flying through the darkness of the night towards the forest. After about 10 minutes they reached the Forest of Dean. Not bothering with the car park he drove straight on, heading through the trees towards the anomaly. They reached the clearing and Stephen jumped out, scanning the night shadowed area with desperate eyes. He didn't see Abby and he didn't see Nick. He heard a groan behind him.

'Oh God. Abby's not here is she?' Connor was white.

'No, and neither is Nick'. Connor paused briefly. He racked his brains for a second. Stephen had turned away and was debating which direction to take when he heard Connor say in a puzzled voice, 'Who?'


	5. Not An Experience To Be Repeated

Chapter 5:-

Stephen whirled around, and gaped at Connor in shock.

'What did you say?' he demanded.

'Who's Nick Cutter?' Connor asked again.

'Connor, I swear to God, if this is a joke...' But one glance at the younger man's white and slightly puzzled face, showed him that not even Connor would have the gal to joke in a situation like this. Stephen whacked his forehead with the palm of his hand. He could not believe this was happening. Why could Connor not remember Nick?

'Come on Connor think! Medium height, short blonde hair, professor at the University, headed up the team?? Evolutionary paleantologist??' Connor's face continued to look blank.

'I don't know what you're talking about,' he said slowly, now really worried. Why were people going mad? First Nick and now Stephen. Nick. He didn't know a Nick. Why did he remember a Nick throwing a temper tantrum? Why did that name keep on slipping into his head? Stephen was looking at him with heightened suspicion.

'You do remember Abby, right?' Connor gave him an exasperated look.

'Of course I remember Abby. I'm not stupid. How could I forget her?' Stephen looked at him, a worried glint in his blue eyes.

'I would have thought you'd have been like that about Nick as well. How can you forget him?'_(Back with Nick and Abby, with the expanding anomaly)_ Nick groaned and lifted his head off the ground as best he could. There was a strange white light hovering directly above him and for a brief moment he wondered if he was in Heaven. Then as his head slowly cleared, the white light slipped back into proportion with the rest of the world and he realised it was in fact the Sun. He raised a seemingly lead-filled hand to his head in an attempt to shield his eyes. Bad move. Even that simple movement was enough to make his head burn and his insides lurch, a severe nausea coursing through them.

Throwing his weight sideways, Nick wretched a couple of times. Unfortunately, not having eaten for nearly 10 hours, there was nothing to throw up. Still at least the nausea had gone. Still feeling incredibly weak and wobbly, Nick gave his head an experimentary shake, trying to clear it. The last thing he remembered was the sensation of hundreds of needles stabbing inwards and the terrified face of Abby floating in front of him. Abby. Shit. He rolled over and shoved himself onto his knees. Clambering awkwardly to his feet he scanned the area, spotting almost instantly a small form topped with flaming white hair, lying groaning in the dust, a few metres away. Abby gasped in a gulp of air, the freshness tasting foul in her dry mouth. She rolled onto her back as best she could and then, strength sapped for the time being, lay there gasping like an upended turtle. She slowly became aware of a blond haired, rumpled looking man sitting next to her, taking a swig of water from a canteen. Sensing she was awake, he glanced sideways and gave her a worn smile. She attempted to smile back. Bad move. Aby turned sideways and unable to stop herself threw up a couple of times. Gasping once more, she managed to sit up, her inside in turmoil. A canteen was proffered. She accepted it and drank gladly. Nick smiled at her again.

'How are you feeling?' Abby paused, mentally prodding various areas of her body. 'Like I've been shoved throw a rubber tube an inch thick' Nick chuckled.

'Yeah, that was not one of the most pleasant experiences I've ever had and not one I intend to be repeating any time soon.'

'What **HAPPENED? **And why? And where are we? Or, more to the point, **WHEN** are we? And how are we going to get back?' Nick smiled indulgently at Abby's questions.

'Umm the answers, not in that order. I think we just experienced what being **SUCKED** through an anomaly feels like, I think we are still in the Permian Era, probably the late Permian Era, judging by the scenery, we get back the same way we came and I have no idea why it happened.' Abby listened in silence as he rattled all this off and then sat disgesting the news.

'Great. So to get home, we have to go through all that again?'

'Like I said, it's not an experience I care to repeat. But I think we can just walk back through it normally. Well, I hope.' Feeling less than comforted by his unsure response, Abby glanced at the anomaly.

'Well you're going first.' Nick rolled his eyes. 'Fine'

Never a man to waste time he got to his feet and strode towards the anomaly. He walked straight into the glittering silver light. What happened next was almost comical. Nick's legs kept moving, but he didn't go anywhere, he was just suspended, legs paddling in midair in the centre of the anomaly. Abby stared in horror. She rushed forward to see if she could pull him back or push him through. There was a sudden crack and Nick shot backwards out of the anomaly, as though propelled by a cannon. He crashed straight into Abby and they both went flying backwards.

Abby landed with an enormous thump on the stony ground. For a couple of seconds she saw stars, the wind knocked out of her. She heard a few coughs and looking down, saw Nick sprawled once more on top of her. He rolled sideways on to the floor and lay there, trying to get his breath back. After a few minutes he sat up and tousled his grey hair. It gradually returned to it's normal blond shade as streams of dust flew everywhere. He had a coughing attack and looked at at Abby with a grimace.

'Well, that's not something I'll be trying again in a hurry.'

'Sensible decision. I always find it most amusing watching people attempting that. Your little friend tried it to. The results were hilarious. Better than TV.'

The voice that spoke next belonged to neither Nick, nor Abby. Deep and gravelly, it spoke with an American accent. Both spun around in total shock. Towering above them, effectively blocking out the Sun, was a tall, tanned man, wearing a long brown trench coat. They heard a click. A gun came into view, pointing at their heads.

'Nobody move.'


	6. The Stranger

Chapter 6:-

Sitting on the ground, limbs entangled and covered in dust, Nick and Abby were to stunned to do anything other than gape in shock at the James-Bond-ish figure towering over them. Abby stared in awe, trying her hardest not to be impressed and Nick just stared, wondering if he was dreaming. The click as the safety catch on the gun was released bought both of them back to reality with a thump.

The man was raising the gun again, the weapon rose slowly from his side until it was level with Abby's head. She swallowed hard. But the gun kept going, passing Nick's head, until it was on a par with a nearby rock, levelled at something they couldn't see.

'Nobody move'. The man spoke those two words again. It was only then that Nick heard the growling. A low, vicious snarl from behind him and Abby, drawing gradually closer. A twig snapped. Looking sideways, he saw that Abby had gone white, clearly also aware of whatever it was behind them.

Closing her eyes in terror, Abby wondered briefly whether all field-trips with Nick ended up like this. All of a sudden, she wasn't so envious of the work that Stephen and the Professor did. Risk of getting eaten wasn't particularly something she was after in a job. And this strange man. Abby had never been through an anomaly personally before, but she knew enough to know that men with trench coats and guns weren't an everyday occurrence. And now he was pointing a gun at them. Well. Over them. At whatever was behind. Abby didn't think she really wanted to know.

Nick had had some experience with guns, but it didn't mean he was comfortable with having one pointed within close vicinity of his head. Shifting uneasily on the sand, he reached a hand up and rubbed his forehead. Unfortunately the movement seemed to provoke whatever was behind. There was roar and the footfalls sped up and became heavy. Grabbing Abby, Nick made to roll them both sideways out of harm's way.

'STAY WHERE YOU ARE!'

The yell was followed by three shots in quick succession. Abby whimpered slightly, curling instinctively into a ball. With no thought for anything complex, Nick simply chucked himself to the floor and made himself as flat as possible.

There was a yell and a thump. Then silence. Looking up, Abby fully expected to see the man laid flat on his back, bleeding. But he was leaning against a nearby tree and polishing the gunshot residue from the barrel of the pistol. She heard Nick sit up behind her. She gave him a weak smile and he turned and followed her line of sight. He was now facing away from her, but Abby could imagine his sandy eyebrows disappearing into his hairline at the sight of the man. Nick snorted.

At the sound, the stranger looked up. He approached smiling and offered Abby a hand. Abby took it and found herself hauled upright. The world spun briefly. She staggered but remained on her feet. The man smiled.

'I'm sorry. You must think I'm terribly rude. My name is Thomas, Tom, Hawthead, head of the Scientific Research Institution in Atlanta. Maybe you've heard of it?' He smiled again.

'Maverick'

The insult was spoken softly but unfortunately was still heard. Hawthead's eyebrows drew together.

'No need to ask who you are, I suppose. Professor Nicholas Cutter, evolutionary scientist, palaeontologist, Central Metropolitan University, and a reputation for being unreliable, a bad team player and someone who seems to think rules are there for breaking.'

Nick gave a twisted smile. 'Who have you been talking to?'

'It's a generally known opinion. I take it you've heard of me then?'

'I've heard about what you do. Or rather what your people do. You're a fine one to call me unreliable. Your institution has spent the last ten years publishing amazing research that has been bought, stolen, or copied from other people more brilliant than yourselves.'

'Ouch. Little of that is true but I suppose I must allow you your own opinion. She did tell me you could be quite fantastically stubborn. Not to mention selectively blind when it suits you.'

Cutter was practically bristling now. Abby supposed this what competing scientists did when they met up. Stephen had mentioned that they weren't the calmest of people. Time to step in.

'Anyway. What I'm sure the Professor meant to say is thank you. For killing whatever it was. I'm Abby. Abby Maitland. And we were...'

Nick cut across her.

'Why did you shoot it?'

'Would you rather I hadn't?'

'No. But how did you know it was aiming for us. Dinosaurs aren't your area of expertise.'

'True. But I've been here for long enough to realise that if something that big and hungry looking charges, then it's probably not just out for an evening jog. '

Cutter looked mutinous. Abby was surprised how childish the man could be sometimes.

'What is it anyway?' Abby aimed the question at Hawthead, as he seemed to be the one in charge.

'Professor's the expert'.

Moving gingerly closer to the felled beast, Nick took a look. Two canines, 12 large incisors, long snout, short limbs, long tail.

'Looks like a _Titanophoneus potens_'.

Abby raised an eyebrow.

'A what?'

'Name literally means 'potent titanic murderer'. Late Permian Era. 'Bout 5 or 6 million years. Carnivorous.'

'Good job I shot it then'.

Cutter glared. Hawthead smirked. Abby stepped in again.

'Moving on. We've had some experience with anomalies. Never seen another human in one before. Why are you here? What did you mean when you said you'd been here a while?'

'Much as I would like to stand here and talk I think it would be sensible to make a move. It's getting dark, I'm almost out of ammunition and this place isn't exactly known for cuddly playmates. I suggest we discuss this back at the observation centre.'

He turned on his heel and moved forward, into the falling gloom. With a glance at the still glowering Nick and a moment's hesitation, Abby followed him. With no other choice, Cutter brought up the rear.


	7. Claudia Brown

Chapter 7:-

The threesome walked and walked. For what seemed like hours and hours. At least to Abby. The stress of the day, the fact that she had no food in her stomach and the fact that what little food she had had she'd thrown up were all combining to greatly reduce her strength. About 15 metres ahead, she could just make out the bat-like shape of Tom Hawthead's trench coat, flapping through the gloom. Behind her she could hear Cutter's steady foot falls, and the occasional bout of soft swearing or thump, as he punched a tree. Clearly he was still in something of a rage. Scientists.

Cutter followed Abby through the dusk. All around him were fantastic plants and bug-life and nearby and in the distance he could hear the roars, squeals and grunts of whatever nightlife inhabited the late Permian. But he couldn't quite appreciate it. For one thing, all these expeditions so far had been carried out with Stephen by his side. For another, he was still incredibly pissed off with the arrogant 'scientist' and his insults. It wasn't helping matters that a.) he was having to follow the man like a little lost sheep and b.) the man was quite ridiculously impressive, with his fancy coat and fancy gun skills. Abby certainly seemed quite besotted. Arrogant git.

Tom Hawthead led the way. Walking as briskly as he could, he easily navigated the dark sloping landscapes of the past. He was heading further into the forest, further certainly than Abby or Cutter had ever ventured before. They had been walking for several miles but finally they had almost reached their destination. The Atlanta Anomaly Observation Centre. The first building. Almost 6 million years in the past. It really was quite impressive.

Abby was pretty much out of energy by the time they finally stopped. Tom Hawthead stepped sideways on the narrow path, allowing Abby to step up beside him. Below them, in a shallow valley, lay a section of sprawling white buildings. Chrome and glass windows, metal doors, white washed walls, equipped with a massive glass satellite dish on the roof. The very apex of modernisation, built in the furthest reaches of the past. Abby stared, completely gobsmacked. Then turning, she looked wordlessly at Cutter. He squeezed in next to her, wedging himself against a nearby rock for balance.

"Fuck."

Short, brusque, but accurate in Abby's opinion.

'You built an observation centre in the past? In the bloody **PAST?'**Cutter's accent was growing stronger on each syllable.

'Yes.'

Hawthead's answer offered no explanation of his actions.

'Have you any idea, any idea at all, of the damage this could do??'

Cutter sounded torn between fury, shock and grudging respect that someone had dared to do this.

'Yes Professor. I am also a scientist you know. I was perfectly aware of the risks when I had the damn centre built. I admit it was risky but I will and must not explain my actions to you!'

Nick couldn't help but notice the sarcasm he put on the word 'Professor'.

'Are you coming or not?'

This question was flung back from the bottom of the slope. Shaking their heads in bewilderment, Abby and Cutter started down the slippery scree. Almost immediately Cutter lost his balance. His foot caught on a rock, unseen in the dark, and he lost his footing completely. Bouncing and tumbling all the way to the bottom, he eventually landed, on his back, and covered in dust, at Hawthead's feet. He lay winded for a couple of seconds. A couple of seconds was enough. Abby landed on top of the Professor, gasping for air. To her credit, she recovered quicker than he had and rolled off him.

'We should stop making a habit of this.'

'Yeah. Third time in one day. Not good. Not again. Agreed?'

They shook on it, still lying on the ground.

Cutter rolled over and scrambled to his feet. He saw the smirk on the other man's face.

'Oh shut up.'

Hawthead's smirk changed into a full-blown grin. Shaking his head, he crossed a few more metres of stony dust and opened a small white door. Cutter and Abby followed him through. The inside of the buildings was just as sterile and modern as the outside. It reminded Cutter strongly of the Home Office. The door led into a small, square room. One side was covered in doors, the entrance to a corridor lay on the other side and shelving units full of files covered the remainder of wall space. There was also a large table in the middle covered with all kinds if paraphernalia, from fossils to chocolate wrappers.

Hawthead pressed a bell to the inside of the door. One of the doors, marked service, opened. A small girl, she couldn't have been more than eleven, emerged.

'Ah, Pippa. We have new guests. Would you please intercom Miss Brown and tell her we have someone she'd quite like to meet, and the get hold of Grace and ask her to prepare two more beds in one of the rooms. I think the room by the canteen has space.'

The girl nodded and vanished. Cutter raised his eyebrows.

'Child labour Hawthead?'

'Nope, just a very unfortunate little girl, who came through an anomaly after her dog.'

'What happened to the dog?'

Looking back it was probably not the question to be asking.

Hawthead pointed. At a skull on the table.

'Right.' Just then something else Hawthead had said clicked in Cutter's brain. Well, not really clicked. More like exploded with the force of an atom bomb.

'Hawthead? Did you just say **Miss BROWN??'**

Before Tom had the chance to answer, a figure appeared at the end of the corridor.

'You wanted to see me?'

A tall, slim figure with red-auburn hair and warm, brown eyes. Claudia Brown.


	8. A Strange Turn of Events

Chapter 8:-

Nick couldn't move. He was, quite literally, frozen to the spot, relief that she was safe, that she did actually exist, that she wasn't just a figment of his imagination, coursing through him with the force of a miniature tidal wave. From the look on her face, Claudia was in a similar predicament, staring at him, mouth slightly open, eyes wide with shock. To her credit, she recovered first.

'Cutter??'

'Cl..uh..' He attempted to reply, but the words somehow got stuck. Clearing his throat, he tried again.

'Hello Claudia'

At these words, the last of the tension left her body and she smiled; a warm, open smile that lit up her eyes. It was a look he could very easily get used to. The second big shock in under two minutes was delivered when she crossed the room and pulled him into a hug. Recovering more swiftly this time, Nick hugged her back, not quite understanding why she was so delighted to see him, but not about to complain if it brought her into close proximity. With her this close, he could unfortunately feel most of her body pressed against him, as well as being able to smell her hair. It was probably a good thing they weren't alone or he might have done something exceedingly stupid. He gave himself a mental slap and released her. She was still a work colleague. And it wasn't as if she had any interest in him in that way at all. She was just relieved to see them.

'Sorry to interrupt, but we have work to do. I'm sure you can continue all of this later.'

Briefly Nick wondered if killing Hawthead was an option. Everything about the man seemed to grate on his nerves and he'd only known him a couple of hours. It might have been because the sneering, sarcastic tone, reminded him strongly of Lester.

'Cutter? Are you listening?'

Hawthead's voice cut sharply through Cutter's thoughts. Irritated, Cutter turned away from Claudia and faced him.

'What?'

Claudia didn't pretend to know Cutter particularly well, but she knew he wasn't the most stable-tempered of men, and she could hear the anger in his voice, his accent heavier than usual, emphasising the consonants. She decided she should step in.

'Why don't I show Professor Cutter and Abby to their rooms?'

'Their rooms are at opposite ends of the centre.' Hawthead snapped. Clearly Cutter wasn't the only one getting wound up. Claudia was determined to stay calm.

'Then why doesn't Pippa take Abby?'

'Fine. Call me when all the domestic crap has been sorted.'

Hawthead vanished into the maze of corridors, his flapping coat reminding Claudia of an overgrown bat. Even after everything he had done for her, she still found it hard to nurture any kind of affection for the man. She turned back to the room at large. Cutter still looked shell-shocked, eyes drawn, slightly pale, his scruffy blond hair resembling a mop, and Abby looked like she'd been squeezed through a mangle. Both were covered from head to foot in dust. Claudia sighed.

'Okay. We have two spaces free in rooms, though they are at opposite ends of the centre. One is near the canteen, that's for you Abby, and then there's one down by the tech. room where you can go Cutter.'

Cutter nodded, seemingly willing to accept someone else in charge. Claudia resisted the urge to hug him again, but seeing him so close after all this time was a cross between almost painful and the best thing that had ever happened to her. Even stranger was the fact that he remembered her, after hearing Hawthead's theories on this, she had built herself up for him to stare blankly at her, but he hadn't, he'd remembered. She couldn't even think about what that might mean right now. Shaking off these thoughts, she turned to Pippa, who had slipped back into the room like a shadow.

'Pippa, could you take Abby to the room by the canteen please?'

The girl nodded, looking up at Abby. She turned and left the room. Abby stared at Claudia and opened her mouth. Claudia got there first, cutting across her.

'Look, Abby, I know you're curious and probably have five billion and one questions but it's easier to get this stuff sorted and then Hawthead can explain everything. And I know you probably have no idea who I am but that'll be explained as well. So, please, just go?'

Abby nodded and glanced at Cutter. He smiled reassuringly.

'I'll come find you later. Go and get sorted with a room. Clearly there is more to everything here than meets the eye.'

Abby still seemed to hesitate. Cutter gave her a gentle push.

'Go on. Else you'll lose your guide.'

With Abby gone, Cutter allowed his full attention to rest on Claudia. He was acutely aware that he was now alone in a room with her. Precisely the thing he had thought would be a bad idea. He ran a hand through his hair, causing a small cloud of dust. Claudia smiled wryly.

'Come on then. I'll show you your room and where you can get cleaned up.'

She moved off down one of the corridors, hips swinging slightly. Nick dragged his gaze upwards and followed. They walked side by side down the endless maze of white, sterile tunnels. The back of his hand brushed hers accidentally and her head snapped round. He gave her an awkward smile, thinking he should probably say something to break the silence.

'So how come we've ended up here? What is this place? What are they doing?'

Claudia smiled.

'This is the Anomaly Observation Centre. It's basically a massive observation and research centre, focusing on the activity of the anomalies, working towards the eventual aim of stopping them altogether. Hawthead will explain it better than I can. And with the recent problems, it's become something of a refugee centre as well. There are about fifty of us here, all ages, all nationalities, can't get home. We're just sort of...stuck. I must say I had been wondering how long it would take before one of our lot appeared. You've been lucky to last this long! I was starting to think I'd never see any of you again.'

Nick stared at her befuddled. There was a slightly sad tinge to her last words and only about 5 of what she had said had made any sense.

'Claudia, what do you mean? You're talking as if you've been missing for weeks; it's barely even been a day!'

Claudia stopped dead and swung to face him, a look of pure alarm on her face.

'What? What do you mean? Yesterday? Only a day?'

Nick could only nod. Claudia looked like she was going to be sick. Taking a deep breath, she looked him in the eye.

'Nick, I've been living here for nearly two years.'


End file.
